Celtic FC Women drew 1-1 away from home this afternoon to take a point against Hearts in the capital.
After the home side took an early lead, the Ghirls were put to work on some of the scoring and Caitlin Hayes’ second-half strike provided the point.
Coming into the game, Fran Alonso’s team wanted to end their last game of 2023 before the upcoming winter break with a win.
However, the hosts took the lead, scoring within 10 minutes to make it 1-0.
Heart forward Georgia Timms hit a long ball and forced a smart save from Celtic shot stopper Kelsey Daugherty. However, the American was unable to hold on to the opening effort as Timms quickly followed to open the scoring from close range.
It proved difficult for the Hoops as the Edinburgh side struggled to get things going in the 45th minute.
Although Celtic were unable to create many clear chances, there were still chances to get back into the game.
Shen Mengyu took the ball from outside the area and tried his luck with a shot that headed towards the goal. However, it was a nice save for the goalkeeper. Early in the second half, it was clear that the Hoops’ goal was clear early on as they quickly went in search of an equaliser.
In the early stages, Colette Cavanagh forced the keeper into a superb save after cutting and flicking the ball towards goal.
Amy Gallacher was next when she tried to challenge the Hearts keeper with a powerful effort just outside the area, but it too was saved.
The pressure finally paid off with just over 10 minutes to go when Caitlin Hayes equalised.
The defender has shown repeatedly how dangerous he can be in the opposition penalty area and his attacking instincts were once again on display in the capital. The Irish international was broken with the ball in the box and he found the bottom corner on the half-volley.
After finding a way back, the focus quickly shifted to finding a winner in the second half.
Fran Alonso made a number of changes as Maria McAneny and Clare Goldie were brought into the fold. Both ships also had chances early on, but ultimately failed to test the keeper.
As the match approached the 90th minute, Caitlin Hayes had the best chance when she tried to head a soaring cross into the box, but she just couldn’t hit the target with her effort. Unfortunately, the Celtics couldn’t score again in the second half as they took a share of the spoils in their final game of 2023 in the capital.